I don't agree that it's only people wanting a cheap house that look into private sales. I regularly check the other sites because you wonder whether there's more out there, or hope that there's a special one somewhere?
Technically you'll have much the same exposure as if you used a regular EA, with the site Wendy recommends. For £75 you can be on rightmove for 6mths. That is where I look for houses, and probably most people. Who the house is actually up with is largely irrelevant to everyone. I look at rightmove every day whether I'm wanting to move or not. I even 'wander' round scotland and wales wondering if there's a little rundown place that is shouting out to me. (there's lots but they don't speak to Mr. at all )
The fact is it's on there, which was the only sticking point about not using an EA. Wendy has sorted this for me!!
Their photos and tours are a lot better and much clearer than most EA sites, and there's floorplans, which not every EA provide but are bloody helpful. All the above is standard. Someone comes to take photos etc. as normal. I'll do the viewings which, considering who showed us round our house, is not a bad thing. The man never spoke much at all the three times we visited with him. He certainly made no attempt to invoke a bit of enthusiam for the house. Pushy isn't good but there's a happy medium. I ain't paying £3k for some mute man unlocking the house to let viewers in and that's his job done.
Originally posted by holy cheeses: I look at rightmove every day whether I'm wanting to move or not. I even 'wander' round scotland and wales wondering if there's a little rundown place that is shouting out to me. (there's lots but they don't speak to Mr. at all )
...So I'm not the only one, then? Are we just a couple of saddos HC?
Well, I'd view private sales in the same eye as auctions - something cheap. Questions would be running through my mind before I started, like is this person going to be some deranged pedant who 'knows best', are they going to engage my attitudes to the current housing market or are they going to insist one up the road went for that price in 2005 and ignore the fact it had two more bedrooms, a garden and was in decent repair in a booming market?
Nothing against private sales boards in principle but they tweak my nutter antennae.
Originally posted by holy cheeses: I look at rightmove every day whether I'm wanting to move or not. I even 'wander' round scotland and wales wondering if there's a little rundown place that is shouting out to me. (there's lots but they don't speak to Mr. at all )
...So I'm not the only one, then? Are we just a couple of saddos HC?
I wouldn't suggest that anyone who pays a fortune for a glorified office worker known as an EA to sell their property when it could be done for a fraction of the cost. Is it just me who thinks like this?
I can only repeat I'm no fan of EAs. Unless however, a private individual is going to put as much effort into professional presentation including web presence, signage and negotiation the process can come across as 'cheap' not clever. Anything that takes money out of estate agent's pockets is a good thing but don't cut off your nose to spite your face when selling houses. The EAs fee can be cheap if they get a better deal from more competition.
I wouldn't suggest that anyone who pays a fortune for a glorified office worker known as an EA to sell their property when it could be done for a fraction of the cost. Is it just me who thinks like this?
No, I'm right there with you
I defy anyone to look at a normal EA website, then look at house network's site and consider it "cheaply" done in comparison. The virtual tour spans the room but doesn't turn it into a bizarre little tunnel where you have no idea what size/shape it is.
Rightmove is the daddy of the housing market. If I'm on there I'm not bothered how weird and nutterish my sign outside is.
Saving 3k by cutting out a person basically doing nothing but talking for lots of money - how deranged is that?!
And we're not sad for trawling rightmove, just... eternally hopeful Because you never know, one day that perfect little place might speak to you.
and while I'm bigging up house network I've just seen that if you look for a property you can click on an area of the map, see how many for sale in a given area then if choose an area you can see on a map whereabouts they are then phew, if you click on any given one it shows you a dinky window with pic and details. Have that crappy local EA's! with your ten minute tedious form of "pick how many beds, pick a type of house..., no go back you haven't picked a minimum price..."
much more handy for dream rambles round scotland and wales. there's a little uninhabitable cottage in pembrokeshire
LOL @ HC. My house wasn't on RM. We found it in a scientifically sound method of driving round after a cloud-burst and spotting the for sale signs that were not attached to moated properties. It wasn't a private sale but repped by a small village EA. I have been known to buy the Yorkshire Post or the Westmorland Gazette to do a bit of window shopping...
Obviously this is a hot topic. Holy cheeses - you mentioned a 'little uninhabitable cottage' - there's a new site Renovatorsdream that might interest you. It looks a bit new and volumes aren't there, but they've got a Renovation Diary feature where it looks like you can record and display your project - not really any good examples there yet though.
EA's have had there day I think - they will still have a role to play but the ability to market your property for next to nothing online means they may have to change their fee structure (& this is already happening in parts).
My house wasn't on RM. We found it in a scientifically sound method of driving round
there's always one (usually the same one) disproving my points. Rightmove is the daddy. You are an exception
And I think Mr. would have a freaking fit if I suggested something uninhabitable to the point of packing his bags and runn... ooooh, now there's a plan
I've turned into Kirstie (and my hubby is actually a chubbier version of Phil!)..we have been doing house viewings for my parents....I lurve surfing RM (especially using property bee tool so that you can keep track of reductions etc). Then I make appointments to view potentials just to get a shortlist for them so that when they came up for a weekend they could view the suitable ones. In fact would love to do this as a job and once dads house has gone through there'll be nothing left for me to check RM for apart from pure noseiness!
if you squint quite hard mine is Max Beesley! If you shut your eyes tightly and imagine a manc accent, he's Shayne Ward
"Wendy" before you "go" to spread your word elsewhere, can you answer why I can't find any of the advertised houses on house network on rightmove? hmmmmm.
I have just had another look to see if my house is still on Rightmove and yes it is. You gave me quite a scare there HC. I don't know why you can't find them. I have found loads.
Originally posted by holy cheeses: I look at rightmove every day whether I'm wanting to move or not. I even 'wander' round scotland and wales wondering if there's a little rundown place that is shouting out to me. (there's lots but they don't speak to Mr. at all )
...So I'm not the only one, then? Are we just a couple of saddos HC?
Just wondered, have e-bay got a section to sell your house? They seem to have everything else on their site. Can you imagine buying a house, on e-bay, worth £300k for a snip at £30k!!!! I'll wait for that day!!
All Hail the mighty hamsters! 
Are we just a couple of saddos HC? 
with your ten minute tedious form of "pick how many beds, pick a type of house..., no go back you haven't picked a minimum price..."
ooooh, now there's a plan
hmmmmm.
